Students are identified for the Gifted and Talented Program through a three-stage process established by the Irving ISD Board of Trustees:
1. Referral
2. Screening
3. Selection

REFERRAL

A student may be referred by a parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, administrator, the student, or other interested persons.
The GT Building Committee, made up of an administrator, counselor, and teachers, will solicit and accept referrals at any time throughout the school year as guided by the referral calendar:
• Before school starts
• 2nd Six Weeks
• 3rd Six Weeks
• 4th Six Weeks
• 6th Six Weeks

Members of the GT Building Committee will review referrals and other internal and external sources of information on children who demonstrate potential for the gifted and talented program with a focus on equity (e.g., students who score above average on a standardized achievement and/or test of general ability, students whose grades in subjects related to or prerequisite for the program being offered indicate high performance, and students whose creativity or outstanding products in program related areas indicate high potential).

Meeting criteria in at least two (2) of the following areas will permit the referred students to enter the screening phase:
• Previously enrolled in a GT Program in another public-school district
• Parent input
• Teacher input
• Student self-evaluation of interests
• Grades (top 10% of semester average within language arts and/or mathematics)

If additional testing is recommended, the parents of those selected will receive a letter asking for permission to test.
Students who reside in the Irving ISD and attending private/home school can obtain information about Gifted and Talented Services from the Gifted/Advanced Academics Department.
Irving ISD students may be referred and re-screened once every year, with twelve months passing between each assessment event. The Irving ISD strongly suggests that students not be referred for more than two sequential years without a significant change in the data. The District will not initiate the referral unless the parent requests it.

SCREENING

The GT Building Committee reviews the referrals and develops a list of recommendations for the selection committee to consider (19 TAC 89.51 (f). Please refer to special instructions for Kindergarten screening.

The GT Building Committee will be composed of a building administrator, a counselor, and a teacher (19 TAC 89.51(f).

The GT Building Committee will meet and consider each student referral on an individual basis.

The committee will look for children in the superior to very superior range. Specific tests that address the gifted program subject area will be used along with other objective and subjective data. An individual portfolio will be prepared for those referred within each subject area, and each case will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Multiple criteria will be reviewed on all students referred for the program: portfolio/products, achievement test, and Aptitude/Reasoning Test, (19TAC 89.51(a).

No single criterion will be the determining factor in preventing further screening of the student in the identification process.

Students not selected during the screening phase will receive written notification of the committee decision.

When being considered for gifted services, students should be screened in the language in which they will be the most successful. Aptitude and achievement tests and portfolios are available in both English and Spanish. If a student needs to be tested in a language other than Spanish or English, the Building Committee should contact the Gifted/Advanced Academics Department for assistance.
Students who received accommodations during testing for learning disabilities, 504, or other special education needs should be permitted to use those accommodations as appropriate during screening.

Kindergarten

All kindergarten students are referred for gifted education screening. Because of this, all kindergarten students will participate in the screening process. Parent permission to test is not necessary.

The Kingore Observation Inventory is an instrument used to track behaviors common among gifted learners. It is used in all kindergarten classrooms throughout the fall semester.
Portfolio/Planned Experiences:

Open-ended activities (three math and three reading) are embedded in kindergarten curriculum. These activities are designed to give all students the opportunity to participate in high-level, open-ended thinking.

In late Fall, an aptitude/reasoning test is administered to all kindergarten students.

Kindergarten teachers and the GT Building Committee meet to review the testing data.
● Students who met the criteria on both aptitude and the KOI/Portfolio qualify for gifted services.
● Students who met the criteria on either aptitude or the KOI/Portfolio will be given an achievement test to determine whether, or not they qualify for gifted services.
● Students who do not meet the criteria on both aptitude and the KOI/Portfolio do not qualify for gifted services.

SELECTION

The GT Building Committee will review all information pertaining to students who are qualified for consideration and will make the final selection of students that will participate in the GT program (19 TAC 89.51 (f).

● The committee will review all student profiles submitted during the screening process. The committee will review the data on each student and determine who will most likely benefit from the educational setting provided by the gifted program. The committee will select candidates that are in the superior to very superior range on two of three criteria: aptitude, achievement, and portfolio assessments.
● Two of three items (within the screening criteria) at the qualifying percentile or superior range and above will result in inclusion in the gifted and talented program.
● Students selected during screening for services within the mathematics/science gifted and talented program must perform at, or above the qualifying percentile in two of three areas:

o Mathematics achievement
o Reasoning (aptitude)
o Product portfolio that demonstrates gifted qualities within mathematics

● Students selected during the screening for services within the language arts/humanities/ social sciences gifted and talented program must perform at the qualifying percentile in two or three areas:

o Reading achievement
o Reasoning (aptitude)
o Product portfolio that demonstrates gifted qualities within reading and writing

● Students selected during screening of services within science gifted and talented program for secondary must perform at, or above the qualifying percentile in two of three areas:

o Science achievement
o Reasoning (aptitude)
o Product portfolio that demonstrates gifted qualities within science

In elementary, students who qualify for Reading/Language Arts will also receive gifted services in Social Studies. In elementary, students who qualify for Math will also receive gifted services in Science. The curriculum for Science & Social Studies is not accelerated, but the level of depth and complexity should increase.

Elementary students who do not meet the criteria for gifted services may be placed in gifted services for enrichment and talent development. These services are reviewed on an annual basis and should be based on the academic needs of individuals. Placement is not guaranteed year to year due to class sizes and student performance.
All data used during the selection phase must be two years old or newer.

● Two kinds of information will be considered for each student in the final selection process:

o The student’s need for the educational experiences planned for the program or service being offered.
o The degree to which the student will benefit from the program being offered.

● All faculty and parents will be notified of the committee’s decision. Parents will be notified by mail (19 TAC 85.51 (f)).
● Recommendations which place students in gifted services may be declined by parents.
● Kindergarten services must begin by March 1st according to the State of Texas (Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH), Section 8.2).

APPEALS

Placement decisions which do not recommend GT placement, may be appealed by parents in the following manner (19 TAC 89.51 (a)).

1. If a parent wishes to appeal the results, he/she must complete a Level One appeals document and submit it to the GT Administrator at the student’s campus no later than five working days of receipt of the DNQ letter.
2. The GT administrator will inform the campus principal of receipt of the appeal. Within five working days of receiving the appeal, the GT Building Committee meets to review the data and determine what is in the best educational interest of the student. The person filing the appeal will be notified of the committee’s intent with the Level One response form.
3. If additional testing is to be done, the GT Building Committee must administer other tests and decide within five working days. If the GT Building Committee needs additional testing instruments, they should contact the GT Department. The principal of the campus responds to the appeal using the Level One Outcomes form.
4. If a parent wishes to appeal the Level One response, he/she completes the Level Two form and submits it to the Division Director of Specialized Learning Services. A Level Two appeal must be submitted no later than five working days from receipt of the Level One response.
5. Within four working days of receiving the Level Two appeal, the Division Director of Specialized Learning Services conferences with the petitioner. The Coordinator of Gifted/Advanced Academics then convenes the District Appeals Committee to review the appeal. The District Appeals Committee is comprised of the Division Director of Elementary and/or Assistant Chiefs over middle or high school, Division Director of Curriculum & Instruction, and the Division Director of Planning, Evaluation, and Research. The forms for Levels One and Two, as well as any additional, relevant data are reviewed. The committee submits a written response to the petitioner no later than five working days from the parent conference.
6. If a parent wishes to appeal the Level Two response, he/she completes the Level Three form and submits it to the Chief Academic Officer no later than five working days after receiving the Level Two response.
7. The Chief Academic Officer meets with the petitioner no later than four working days from receipt of the appeal. Following the conference, the Chief Academic Officer has five working days to review Levels One, Two and Three, as well as any pertinent data, and submit a response to the petitioner.
8. If a parent wishes to appeal the Level Three response, he/she completes the Level Four form and submits it to the Superintendent’s office no later than ten working days from receipt of the Level Three response. The Superintendent will place the matter on the agenda of the next regular Board meeting. The Superintendent or designee will inform the petitioner of the date, time, and place for the Board meeting. The Board reviews all appeal forms, as well as any pertinent data, and submits a response to the petitioner. The petitioner will have the opportunity to address the Board concerning the appeal.
9. The Board will consider the complaint. It may give notice of its decision orally or in writing at any time up to and including the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. If the Board does not decide regarding the appeal by the end of the next regularly scheduled meeting, the lack of response by the Board upholds the administrative decision at Level Three.

TRANSFER

Students who enroll in the Irving ISD from outside the district will be included with all other students in the ongoing process of identification. Transfer students may be referred on the same basis as other students within the district and with the same identification procedures.

Students new to the district who have received gifted services in another public school district must meet the Irving ISD identification criteria to be placed in an Irving ISD gifted course.
Gifted students who transfer within the school district from one campus to another will be immediately placed in GT services at the receiving campus.

Current Irving ISD students who were placed in a gifted classroom with an Advanced course schedule, but not identified as gifted will be placed in a gifted classroom at the discretion of the receiving campus.
Students returning to the Irving ISD after leaving the district will have their status reviewed by the GT Building Committee; additional documentation may be required.

Fifth (5th) Grade Re-evaluation: Transition to Middle School

All students in fifth (5th) grade classroom who receive gifted services with GT or Advanced schedules will be evaluated for gifted services in middle school. The following will take place as part of the evaluation:

● All students will complete portfolio activities as part of the normal instructional day.
● All students will take an achievement assessment (Measure of Achievement of Progress- MAP).
● For a student who was not previously identified for gifted services, if both portfolio and achievement scores meet or exceed the criteria, he/she would qualify for gifted services.
● If a student's MAP, or portfolio scores are in the gifted range, then a reasoning (aptitude) assessment will be administered.

The GT Building Committee will review all data to determine if the student would benefit from the gifted services being provided in middle school.